Roma Students: The Forgotten Victims of the Coronavirus

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the daily life of everyone, but for some it has represented an even more considerable challenge. Roma families, particularly those living in socially excluded and marginalised settings, are a case in point. The situation of discrimination experienced for years by Roma families has worsened in times of pandemic, leaving families to feel even more vulnerable and deprived of correct health in-formation. The biggest victims were probably Roma children, many of whom stopped relationships with teachers, school, and classmates and were unable to follow daily lessons through distance learning. The lack of data on the pandemic in relation to this specific target does not allow us to understand its real impact. The only data available for now are those related to single pro-jects of local administrations, NGO and/or volunteer associations. However, it must be noted that the quality and quantity of Roma children’s school attendance and performance are often influenced by the educational strategies and teaching models implemented in schools and by the kind of relation-ship between teachers and family. For this reason, in the post-pandemic school, it will be necessary to reconsider the issue of inclusion through new and improved forms of partnership between schools, teachers and families.